The Dillon tribune., 1887-09-09
THE WHIPpERS IN.
THE ARDUOUS DUTIES or THE ENC.
L'sH PARLIAMENTARY "wtlPs.v

How the Political Hounds Arc Called
Together In Great Britain's Legislative
Halls-The Serious Responsibilities Of
the Party ''whip."
Political parties were decla, cd bv pnlte-
ney, hundred years ago, to resemble
snakes, IN the fact that their heads were
moved forward by their tails It might
be inv1dious, perhaps, at the present day
to discuss the anatomy of our parties in
order to find out where the motive power
chiefly lies; but there can ut least be little
doubt that party without whip, or a
couple OF whips would stand very poor
chance indeed on the floor of the house of
commons. The first lord of the TREASURY
may be ''abscnt through intlisposition. ),
or the chancellor of the excheuucr mnv
stay away from some other reason. and
there arc plenty of occupants of the treas.
ury bench to take their place for night.
But supposing that both whips should be
1ncapacitated, who would be their substi-
tutes? No other members know half SO
much about the party organization as
they do. They are Indispensable
they are aware of the fact.
1t Is quite ten years since, before the
Liberals had been so fatally split up as
they are at present, that Sir Wilfrid Law
son amused his constituents by telling
them that it was the custom of the whip
pers in Of parliament to summon their DO
itical hounds together by means Of q
polite little circular, which Earnestly re-
quested" the presence of each individual
member who might be counted ON to vote
straight If there was no dash under the
word earnestly" it was safe to infer,
honorable for 1;,1o
that the business to which reference was
made might or might not come on that
evening. One dash under the word meant
that the member summoned ought to
come. Two dashes meant that he certain
ly should come. Three underlining strokes
meant that he must come. And if the
whip had been lavish enough to waste no
fewer than four dashes Oh the Earnestly"
the plain Significance Of that was that il
the member chose to stay away he would
do so at his peril
1t is open to question whether the use
of these marks, supposed to be SO dear to
the feminine mind, beneath the summon
ing words in whips circulars have been
productive of good or harm. One obvi-
Gus result has been to cause legislators to
have very little respect for an earnest re-
quest without the accompanying symbols
he asked what possible ''peril'' could
be involved in a member disobeying
a party command, and staying at home
when great division was pending, he
would no doubt reply that the peril arose
from the members own constituents.
But, for all that, members who are casual
in the parliamentary attendance or con-
f1rmed abscntees do unquestiOnably 90 in
terror of the remOnstrances of the party
fuglemen, apart altogether from q con-
sideration of the effect of non-voting on
the safety of their seats.
Long custom has made the rule of the
whip u prescriptiye one which nobody
would dispute, except when convictions
forced a man to quit his party ranks and
vote for once with the opposite hosts. 1t
is rule which is exercised with great
tact and judgment, and which is not re-
sented. Now and then, no doubt, members
break away from the whips; occasionally
lance days, refers bitterly to the party or
ganization as being too severe, and dubs
the necessity Ut obeying the whips s'sla-
very" AS n general rule, however, it is
recognized that a party would he all at
sea without these officials, who work SO
silently, and whose names are not marked
out for the fame which awaits the political
leaders on either side.
The whip has a hard fate. He leads q
scantlalously irregular life, as far as late
hours are concerned. He is expected to
rise with the lark, although he only goes
to bed with the reporters, and when the
last light is being eXtinguishcd in the
house of commons Members of his party
who are in trouble of any sort come to
him and consult him US if lie were Il father
confessor. He is supposed to have kind
of intuitive acquaintance with the 'feeling
| Of the party" and If he mislcats the lead
ers in this respect he is made to repent the
bluntler in parliamentary sackcloth. I'm
der all possible irritations he is expected
to keep his temper, to have nod or a
word ready for everybody, and to smile
like an angel, even if kept up by an all
night sitting and racked with toothache.
enquire within upon everything con-
nected with the game OF politics. ought
whips coat collar.
Now, what is the guerdon for all this
display of civic virtue? The virtue in
this case, rs in most cases, is its own re-
ward, and the whip gets no pecuniary so
latium whatever. He takes his salary in
the esteem of his brother members, and
in the consciousness that he is playing an
important part in the political arena. No
sooner are the doors of the house thrown
| wide. and the division bell sounded, than
he is to be seen making his way rapidly
| to the front benches, there to receive ln-
structions us to which lobby his party Is
to 90 into, and other important matters.
He is expected to have some mesmer1c
influence over members, so us to keep q
house." More than that, when there is